


And when the powers combine

by backonefish



Category: Captain Planet and the Planeteers, One Direction (Band)
Genre: Captain Planet - Freeform, Fluff, I legit have no idea how to tag this, M/M, OT5, Saving the World, Superheroes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-05
Updated: 2017-09-05
Packaged: 2018-12-24 04:32:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12005079
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/backonefish/pseuds/backonefish
Summary: Louis' not dealing well with the repercussions of a recent mission, until a boy with green eyes and huge dimples comes into his life and turns it upside down.Set in the Captain Planet and the Planeteers universe, though I took quite a large liberty in changing certain things for this fic.





	And when the powers combine

**Author's Note:**

  * For [missandrogyny](https://archiveofourown.org/users/missandrogyny/gifts).



> I promised missandrogyny/Paynner I'd write her a Larry superhero drabble for her birthday. Apparently I don't know what a drabble is. So instead, you get a 17K fic. I hope you like it and that it meets your expectations! Happy belated and may this year be absolutely incredible!! 
> 
> Certain facts about the Captain Planet universe:  
> \- The spirit of Earth, Gaia, created five rings - Earth, Fire, Wind, Water, and Heart - that are wielded by the Planeteers to control the elements  
> \- When the rings combine, they summon Captain Planet  
> \- Captain Planet can only be defeated by pollution

He twirls the cigarette in his hand, fingers brushing over the thin paper. It feels simultaneously familiar and foreign and it leaves him unhinged.

“You going to smoke that?” Zayn climbs out to the roof beside him, hood drawn over his newly shaven head.

People deal with death differently: some shave their heads; others choose to take up smoking again.

“Haven’t decided,” Louis answers.

“I can light it for you,” Zayn offers.

Louis stares at the fragile paper in between his fingers, narrowing his eyes at it. Willing it to give him an answer. “Alright.”

The end of it sparks, until the tip is burning a rosy glow.

“Thanks.”

Zayn shrugs in response, staring ahead. He paints a pretty picture: all contemplative and broody. It’s unfortunate that the only thing in his vision is the peeling paint of the building across them. Kind of ruins the aesthetic.

Louis returns his focus back to the task at hand and steels himself. He lifts the cigarette to his mouth, lips curling around dry paper and the long forgotten taste. He takes a deep pull, ready to inhale, when – nothing. Frowning, he looks at the end of the paper, only to find it snuffed out, a lone spiral of smoke reaching up for the grey sky.

“The fuck you do that for?” Louis grits.

“Smoking’s bad for you,” an Irish voice says from behind him. A blonde head follows shortly after. “’M saving your life.”

It’s a joke. It’s meant to be a joke. Instead it falls flat, a stiffling silence settling over the three of them.

“That’s not what your powers are for,” Louis tries. When no one reacts, he feels the anger that’s always so close to the surface these days, spill over. “Light it up again,” he demands.

Zayn shoots a wary look at Niall. Louis’ cigarette stays unlit.

“Smoking is bad for you,” Niall repeats.

“Yeah, well, maybe I don’t care,” Louis snarls.

“Anya hated it when you smoked,” Niall counters. As if that’s the solution to this problem.

“She’s not here, is she?”

And that’s the problem in the first place.

\---

_Louis struggles with holding up the wall of water. Though he’s weak, long hours of battle having consumed a lot of his energy, he feels he can finally draw in a breath. Far off to his right, Zayn’s got a ring of fire containing a large section of the army, the lab burning in the distance, and with it the control center of the nuclear bomb. Further away, Liam has a high wall of rock cornering off even more machines and people, while Niall runs around blowing off the stray bullets that are making it through. Anya’s beside him, letting her mind spread to the others so they can communicate despite the chaos._

_“We need to get them to retreat,” Zayn’s voice echoes in their heads. “We have to disable the launch pad.”_

_Louis nods, arms shaking with the strain. Destroying remote access to the bomb isn’t enough when it can still be activated from its launch pad._

_“Should we call the Captain?” Niall wheezes, taking a second to kneel over and just breathe._

_They should have done that the minute they landed on the island. But the attack had come from all sides forcing them to scatter and preventing them from even uttering the words to summon the Captain, let alone put their rings together to do so._

_“Let’s,” Liam affirms. Louis watches him raise his hand, the green ring on his finger glinting. “Ear-“_

_Liam never gets to finish the word, a thundering tank crushing through his wall of rock. The other four stare in horror as the wall cracks and then collapses on top of Liam._

_Zayn’s cry of anguish is heard over the rubble, his screams loud despite how far he is, made even worse with them echoing through Anya’s telepathy._

_“You can’t move,” Louis orders, though his voice is shaking even worse than his arms. “You’ve got the vast majority of the army in your ring of fire._

_“I don’t give a fuck,” Zayn spits, already taking steps toward where Liam’s body is buried._

_“Let me,” Niall rushes past him, blowing pieces of rock off the pile. It’s a slow process and Louis’ heart clenches, at a complete loss for what to do next. They’re getting weaker and the soldiers Liam had walled off are starting to gain in on them. It won’t be long before they’ll have to start defending again and they haven’t managed to disarm the actual bomb from the launcher._

_The tank that broke through Liam’s wall has driven to the edge of the island where the launch pad for the nuclear bomb lies. It’s only because Louis’ mind had thought of it that he looks in its direction, the others focused solely on Liam. Which is why he’s the only one who sees five people jump out of the tank and run toward the base of the bomb._

_“No. No. Guys,” Louis shouts, forgetting to speak through Anya._

_Niall stops attempting to clear the rocks, eyes stuck in horror at the launch pad lighting up. “I can blow it off course.”_

_“It’s a nuclear bomb,” Zayn argues. “No matter where it falls, life is going to get destroyed.”_

_“Maybe I can -“ Anya begins._

_“What? Give them a change of heart?” Zayn snaps bitterly._

_“Zayn,” Louis says warningly._

_“We need Liam,” Zayn ignores Louis. “We need the Captain.”_

_Just then an arm punches through the surface of the wreckage, and a weak voice echoes through Anya’s mind into their own._

_“Earth.”_

_A relief so powerful courses through Louis that he staggers back, almost missing Zayn’s answering, “Fire.”_

_“Wind,” Niall rasps._

_“Water,” Louis adds._

_“Heart,” Anya finishes them off._

_And though they’ve done this numerous times before, Louis’ heart still soars when Captain Planet appears before them in all his glory._

_“Planeteers,” he greets. He’s cut off by a deafening cheer as the fire ring burns out and the wall of water vanishes, their own powers gone to create Captain Planet. A loud explosion signals them to the launch of the bomb._

_“No,” Anya sobs beside Louis, sinking to the ground._

_“Run,” Louis hauls her up, pulling her out of harm’s way of the celebratory army._

_She resists, “It’s too late. What’s the point?”_

_Captain Planet’s voice speaks clearly then, “Get yourselves to safety. I’ll take care of the bomb.”_

_He’s got five minutes before the bomb explodes over the nearby city._

_“Wait,” Zayn protests. “Liam.”_

_In a heartbeat, the Captain lifts all the debris of Liam, exposing a collapsed, coughing body that Niall drags away. In the midst of their celebration, the enemy has forgotten to pay attention to the Planeteers, allowing them to join together and watch Captain Planet from the seclusion behind the pile of rocks. The Captain soars high into the sky, undetected for some few glorious seconds before a yell alerts people to his presence. He’s bombarded with bullets, but he’s too far away for any to be impactful. The next few minutes are the slowest of Louis’ life, time crawling to a standstill despite the heavy beating of his heart._

_“He’s going to die,” Anya whispers._

_As soon as her words are out, the realisation sinks and a crippling fear overcomes the group._

_“The nuclear particles,” Liam’s head falls. “There’s no way to remove that from him.”_

_The bomb explodes; blinding and deafening. The silence that follows clings to their skin and rings in their ears. It’s apparent that to save the planet, the Captain absorbed all the nuclear particles. That he’s -_

_“Dead,” Louis finally speaks, when they’re quiet for too long. He’s numb, unable to process the knowledge that their only solace has died. Just… gone._

_“Anya,” Niall pushes at the girl at Louis’ side. “Anya!”_

_Louis lifts his head from his hands to look at Niall. His mind is still sluggish, not properly comprehending what Niall is doing. He then looks at Anya, at her ashen face and shallow breathing, and his brain kicks into overdrive._

_“No,” Louis stutters, everything suddenly burning. There had been one other time when Anya had responded this way to the Captain being hurt - when the Captain had nearly drowned in a pool of oil. The tears mix with the sweat falling into his eyes, his vision going blurry._

_And then it all goes black._

Louis wakes up panting, soaked in his sweat. It’s a bit gross but it’s also the third time it’s happened in the past week, so he’s quite used to it. The nightmares though.

Ever since they’d returned back from saving the world from another nuclear weapon, the nightmares have been persistent.

He sits up in the bed and drags himself to the shower. For the billionth time since Captain Planet disappeared into the sky, Louis wonders if he had known. Known that Anya with her power of Heart was so intricately tied to Captain Planet, then when he had died – she had as well.

\---

When he brushes his teeth the next morning, he spits the foam and watches as the fluoride separates from the water, falling into the sink with a splat. The water continues to float around him, droplets suspended in air. He stares at them with widened eyes. When he blinks, they’ve responded to gravity, droplets sprinkled over the sink. He’s glances at his hand despite knowing what he’ll find. He’s not wearing his Water ring. Hasn’t worn it since… _then_ , the ring lying on his bedside next to Anya’s Heart ring.

He scurries into the kitchen, refusing to think about it.

“Morning, Lou,” Liam mumbles, sagging into the stool at the island in the kitchen. The granite counter instantly cracks. “Oh, fuck, not again,” Liam sighs, picking up the pieces as if they weighed nothing, bringing them back together. Wordlessly, Zayn heats the place they meet and Louis watches as the granite glows and seals itself back together.

“Can someone else light the hob?” Niall whines from the stove.

“Move,” Zayn sighs. “Why am I always fixing your messes?”

“You fixed Liam’s as well!” Niall retorts, moving past Louis to sit beside Liam. A strong gust of wind follows in his wake.

“What the bloody fuck is going on?” Louis demands.

“Dunno,” Liam answers Louis. “But our powers are fucked.”

“I wouldn’t word it like that,” Niall ponders. “More like, they’re…” A pause follows while Niall struggles to find the appropriate words.

“Demanding our attention,” Zayn supplies.

“Yes! Exactly!”

Louis jumps when he feels something cold trickle up his arm, narrowing his eyes in distaste when he realises it’s the water from Liam’s glass weaving its way around him. Like it’s caressing him.

“Well they can fuck off,” Louis growls, shaking his hand. He ignores the sound of the water hitting the ground, choosing to focus on the door slamming behind him.

He wants nothing to do with his powers. Not anymore.

\---

It’s surprisingly not raining today, for which Louis is extremely grateful. He’s actually fond of rainy days - he just doesn’t want to know what a million raindrops would do to him in the state he’s currently in.

He walks a couple of blocks when he stops in his tracks.

The thing about saving the world and its people on a regular basis, is one becomes quite familiar with a cry for help. Be it human, or in this case – animal.

Louis walks in the direction of the sound and finds himself under a large, leafy tree.

“Oh no. No. No. No.”

_“I hate cats,” a lovely blonde girl sits down next to him. She hands him a band-aid, helping him put it on over the cat scratches on his arm, his stubby six year old fingers unable to figure out the wrappings. “I’m Anya.”_

A large, really quite fat, snowy white cat sits on a high up branch. Its wailing increases in pitch and volume as it catches sight of Louis, throwing in a choice hiss every so often. Cats are dumb. They don’t like affection. They’re stupid and climb up trees. And they scratch unsuspecting six year old boys. Louis has half a mind to leave it up in the tree. Besides, he’s not a savior anymore. He gave up that lifestyle.

He picks up a sturdy looking branch off the floor. Twirling it around in his hands, he surveys the area, eyes landing on a fire hydrant. He walks over to it, running his hands over the knobs, before drawing a stream of water from the hydrant. As he walks back to the tree, the water increases in intensity until it’s a powerful jet, the rush of the water molecules hitting each other washing him in a sense of calm. Using the water, he perches the branch on top of the carefully controlled stream, raising it higher and higher, the branch rising with it. He stops when it’s levelled with the cat.

The cat doesn’t budge.

“Come on you fat cat. Move.”

It chooses not to, staring haughtily at Louis. At least it’s stopped wailing.

On a normal day, Louis has very little patience. After the week he’s had, it’s practically non-existent. So he sends another, much more powerful stream of water, hitting the cat in the back. It lets out a startled yelp, jumping onto the proffered branch, which Louis hastily lowers to the ground. He’s just returning the last drops of water to the fire hydrant when a voice shouts from behind him.

“Highness!”

The cat perks at the sound of the voice but makes no attempt to move off the branch.

“Highness!” The voice repeats, much closer this time.

Louis turns around and sees a vision in curls. Startling green eyes, clear in the sunlight and lush, obnoxiously pink lips. And a smudge of something white on his chin. He’s hit with a wave of arousal so powerful, he closes his eyes until the onslaught ebbs away.

“This your cat?” he asks the boy. Boy, vision, angel. It’s all the same.

“Yes!” The boy wheezes back, hands on his knees as he catches his breath. He speaks with a slow drawl, a bit incongruent with how fast he had ran for his cat. “Was she up in the tree? She has a horrible habit of doing that.”

If this was before, Louis’ be flirting up a tsunami with this boy. But it’s not. And despite the simmering of arousal that still sits within his bones, the heady thrum of his pulse, he chooses to turn away from the boy and toward the cat.

“Go on. Go to your owner.”

“Harry,” the boy supplies from behind him.

Yeah, he didn’t need to know that. Doesn’t need a name to go along with the pretty face.

“Move,” Louis demands. The cat – _Highness –_ licks her paw instead, fixing her green eyes daringly on Louis.

“Erm,” Harry chokes off a laugh, “she’s a tad pompous. Not going to move if she doesn’t want to.”

Well, Louis isn’t going to stand for that. He brought her down from the tree and he’s going to ensure she goes home with her owner. He crouches down and nudges her bum to get her moving. She turns around to stare at him, yawns, and lazily placing a paw on him, she digs in her nails and leaves a long scratch down his arm.

Louis yelps, more in surprise than pain, Highness jumping into Harry’s arms.

“Oh fuck. I’m sorry,” Harry babbles, face a horrible shade of red, that he somehow manages to pull off. “She’s normally not that aggressive with people. Here let me –“ Harry drops Highness down to the ground, pulling out a cloth from his one pocket and a bandanna from another. He cleans up the blood with the cloth and wraps the scratch with a bandana. Louis lets him work, fighting the shivers that keep running down his spine every time Harry’s fingers graze his skin. Which is a lot.

“I’m sorry, it’s not terribly sanitary. I work close by, I’m sure there are some band-aids and water that can do a much better job.”

“It’s alright,” Louis says, eyeing the cat that sat itself atop Harry’s feet, tail swishing around self-righteously. He didn’t know tails could do that, but the amount of snootiness this cat possesses, Louis wouldn’t put it past her.

“Um, I’d offer to kiss it better,” Harry grins, fingers pressing into Louis’ forearm. 

Oh. Louis blinks. And then blinks again. Dimples. He’s got dimples as well. The arousal rears itself, leaving the air a bit thick and heady, his arm tingling with the lingering touch.

“That’s, er, quite unnecessary,” Louis stammers, sounding like a fool.

He’s not sure he could survive those lips on him. Even if it’s only on his hand. Highness prods Louis’ leg with her tail and he jumps, hand falling from Harry

“Have a nice day, Harold,” Louis says hastily, eager to stop embarrassing himself.  

“It’s Harry,” Louis hears as he hurries away.

It’s only when the dizzy fog of lust clears from his head and his body stops betraying him, that Louis realises he hadn’t been wearing his ring.

\---

“We need to talk.”

Those are never good words in any circumstance.

“What?” Louis sighs, closing the door to their flat behind him.

The other three are gathered around the kitchen island. No one could guess that it had been in pieces this morning.  

“What happened to your hand?” Liam asks, worriedly rushing toward Louis.

“Nothing,” Louis brushes him aside. “Tried to save a cat and got scratched in return.”

“You tried to save a cat?” Niall asks, a bit too gleefully.

Louis flips him off.

“Let me see,” Zayn grabs his harm, unwrapping the bandana. Louis wants to protest. He doesn’t.

“Uh, Lou?” Liam says.

“What?”

The other three are staring at his arm in bewilderment. Louis follows their gaze down and gasps. He wrenches his arm away from Zayn’s hold.

“I swear…” Louis trails off, running a finger over the scratch. Or what should have been a scratch. Instead, he sees perfectly healed skin, no sign of any injury. “I’m not lying! I was scratched by a cat and this kid wrapped up my hand.”

“I believe you,” Zayn says. “You’re missing the scar from when I accidently burned you.”

They had been practicing refining their hold over the elements and Zayn, the newest to the group had gotten too excited, unable to precisely direct his beam of fire. Louis’ hand had always held the proof of that amateur attempt.

“I -” Louis looks at the boys helplessly.

“We definitely need to talk,” Niall repeats.

It’s only then that Louis catches sight of their rings sitting in the middle of the island.

“Something’s not right,” Niall continues. “Our powers are off.”

“Off how?” Louis treads carefully, though he knows.

“We don’t need our rings anymore to control the elements,” Liam says.

“They’re stronger,” Zayn adds. “I did that.” He points to a perfectly round hole in the wall, the size of a penny. “I’ve never been able to burn through concrete before. And I wasn’t wearing my ring.”

Louis walks to the hole, tracing it with his fingers. Zayn’s work has never been this precise or as neat. It was something that had bothered him ever since he’d joined, sulking about how as the artist of the group, his powers were anything but art.

“What do you think is going on?” Louis turns back to the boys.

Liam grabs his ring and moves to the sofa. “We were waiting for you to call Gaia.”

“You didn’t need me for that.” Louis plasters his back to the wall, crossing his arms. He’d refused to talk to the spirit of Earth when she hadn’t done anything to save Anya’s or the Captain’s life, and he doesn’t see why anything should change.

“Louis,” Liam pleads.

Niall shrugs, joining Liam on the sofa. “Either way, we need to find out what’s going on.” He closes his eyes, and though Louis’ can’t hear him, hasn’t been able to hear any of the boys’ inside his head since Anya, he knows that Niall’s calling on Gaia.

Louis blinks and when he opens his eyes, Gaia stands before them. Her usual glowing aura doesn’t surround her.

“Boys,” she greets, her voice deep and peaceful, albeit sad.

_“And girl,” Anya teases._

_“Saving the best for last,” Gaia responds. It’s a running joke amongst the Planeteers that Anya is Gaia’s favourite. The first girl after generations of only boys._

Louis focuses on the present, the memory fading away. The silence that follows Gaia’s greeting indicates that he wasn’t the only one hearing Anya’s laughing lilt.

“Our powers,” Zayn prods, squeezing Gaia’s hand when he moves to join the other two on the sofa.

Gaia nods. “Won’t you join us, Louis?” Her gaze on him is soothing and he wants to give into her comfort.

“I’d rather not.”

Gaia nods, her eyes reflecting the deep pain that Louis still feels. He wants them off him.

“Gaia,” Liam says softly, drawing her attention.

“I have a theory,” she begins, crossing her legs and floating in front of them. She ensures her body’s angled so that she can keep Louis within her line of sight. He wants to scoff that the all-knowing spirit who _created_ their powers and Captain Planet, only has a _theory._ He bites his tongue and keeps quiet.

“When Captain Planet,” she chokes, taking a moment to gather herself. “When he died, his powers dispersed. He was all of your powers but magnified. When he died, he physically died, but his essence, his powers, still lingered. They needed vessels, people to live in. And since yours were the purest souls around, they went into you.”

“But,” Niall furrows his brows, straining to comprehend. “Why didn’t they go into our rings? Like they normally do when he leaves?”

“I think they needed to attach to a living soul,” Gaia says.

“So we don’t need our rings anymore?” Liam asks, rubbing the green gem stone on his ring rather wistfully.

“No,” Gaia says softly. “The power to control the elements is within you.”

“Fucking hell,” Niall swears.

“Niall,” Gaia scolds.

“Sorry,” he grins, looking anything but.

The longer Louis listens to them, the longer he watches the growing wonder and excitement on their faces, the angrier he gets.

“And Anya? Have you all forgotten her? What about her power?” he bursts.

Gaia turns to him fully, her legs unfolding so she’s standing before him formidably. She doesn’t say anything, simply looks at him with those eyes, like she just _expects_ him to understand.

When it finally hits him, he stumbles, the wall doing little to provide support. Suddenly, water starts to gush from the taps, rushing into the air, moving at a ferocious speed until it surrounds Louis, trapping him in a bubble and drowning out everything else.

_“Come on! Hurry,” Anya whispers, her blonde hair silver in the moonlight. “We can’t let Mrs. Fletcher catch us.”_

_Louis giggles as he runs after her, delighted in how he’s so much faster now that he’s seven._

_“Shhh,” Anya berates, her noise much louder than his laughter. He sticks out his tongue at her but obeys. She’s four years older after all and knows everything. She knows how to sneak treats out of the kitchen. She made up a language only for them so the other kids wouldn’t eavesdrop on their conversations. And she took him under her wing when he first joined the orphanage at the age of four. She’s his big sister, even if the other kids love to point out that they’re not related._

_They run to their tree, where Anya upturns her pockets and offers him chocolate that she stole from the kitchens._

_“What’s that?” Louis points to something on the ground that’s glinting much like Anya’s hair._

_“Maybe its hidden treasure,” Anya says excitedly, reaching for the object. They love to make up wild stories of how they’re going to escape the orphanage and live in riches._

_It’s not hidden treasure but two rings. One has a red gem with a heart etched on the inside. The other has a dark blue gem, a pattern of waves inscribed within. Louis puts the blue one on and despite the smallness of his fingers, the ring is a perfect fit._

_A bright light bursts in the night and from it appears a regal woman, donned in flowing purple, a glittering band around her head._

_A squeal leaves his lips and it takes long moments for his hands to stop shaking. It takes a lot less time for him to believe what the woman tells them. That they’re the chosen few to save Earth and its habitants. That there are five of them in total and one day they shall meet. That until then, they are to hone their powers through the rings they’ve just discovered._

_“Why us?” Anya asks, disbelief that after years of dreaming, this was their way out._

_“You come from a long line of people who love the Earth, my dear,” Gaia responds, smiling gently at the girl. “They’ve passed down their ability to wield the ring.”_

_“Our ancestors?” Anya whispers, eyes alight._

_“Yes. Your family that walked before you, once held that very ring in their hands.”_

_“My family,” Anya echoes, clutching the ring tightly to her chest._

“No,” Louis opens his eyes, the others obscured by the shimmering bubble of water still around him.

“Louis,” Gaia rests her hand on the shield of water. In an instant it falls apart, drenching Louis.

“Anya was an orphan,” Louis shakes his head. “She doesn’t have a next of kin.”

“Everyone has a blood relative out there, even if we don’t know it,” Niall says, hesitantly.

“We are not replacing Anya!” Louis gets up, hands balled tightly into a fist.

“There are five powers, Louis,” Gaia speaks again. “You need the fifth for you to be truly strong enough to save the planet.”

Louis eyes flare, “Maybe I don’t want to save this planet. From the age of six I’ve given it all my attention. And all it’s done is take away the only family I’ve ever had. The only person that I’ve ever loved, just _gone._ ” He chokes, crying openly. “I don’t want this power. Give it to someone else. Everyone’s got a blood relative out there, don’t they?”

He doesn’t wait to see the effect of his words, walking away and slamming the door to his room.

\---

Louis thought things couldn’t get worse. The next few days prove him wrong. At least before, he had the boys’ support and constant comfort. Now, after his outburst, they turn silent when he walks into the communal spaces, leaving a wide berth around him. He doesn’t understand why they’re avoiding him and he can’t be bothered to figure it out. Instead, he spends most of his time at the lab at university, or locked in his room. He begins to seriously contemplate moving out and one day he finds himself stood at the notice board outside his lab, browsing through house listings.

“Oh, hi!” A bright, deep voice greets him.

The sheer desire that courses through him and the sudden pounding of his heart sends him on high alert. He knows full well before he even turns to face the person, that it’s Harry.

“Harold,” Louis says. His face twitches when he tries to smile, having not attempted one in days.

“Are you okay?” Harry frowns at his spasming muscle.

Louis quickly rearranges his features into a scowl and turns back to the board. At least his face has stopped twitching, though it now just burns with embarrassment.

“Peachy,” Louis mumbles.

“You work at the uni?” Harry asks, unperturbed by Louis’ demeanor.

“In the marine biology lab.”

“Cool!” Harry enthuses. “I’m over at Psych.”

Louis nods, body held stiffly, a stark contrast to the rushing blood in his veins. He’s aware he’s being rude. Maybe this is now his default and has nothing to do with how hard he’s fighting the urge to plaster himself to Harry. An image of Harry holding him up against the very wall, biceps bulging as he fucks into Louis, papers flying around them, suddenly hits Louis. His mouth falls open before he can stop it, cock twitching traitorously in his joggers.

“Uh, any good house listings?” Harry clears his throat, voice oddly high.

“Why do you ask that?” Louis questions sharply.

“You’ve been staring at the ‘rooms for rent’ sign rather intently,” Harry says.

“Right,” Louis blushes, the image of Harry’s cock driving into his arse the only thing his eyes are actually seeing.

“I’m looking for a room to rent as well. This time of the year usually has quite a few openings. But that’s never the problem is it? Finding roommates who you get along with is much tougher.”

His words do wonders to stop the sex fantasies, replacing it with thoughts of Louis’ boys. A sudden wave of sadness overcomes him. From his periphery, he sees Harry frown.

“Hey, how’s your hand?”

“Great,” Louis says, showing him the healed hand. He’d forgotten about the absurd healing process, having been preoccupied since.

“Wow, you can’t even see a scar,” Harry says, impressed. He thumbs at the skin on Louis’ arm and Louis is positive he’s going to combust. He can’t handle the whiplash of emotion and its intensity and he needs to not be here anymore.

“Right, I should go.” Louis nods. He jerks his thumb over his shoulder and promptly turns to walk away.

“Wait,” Harry calls after him. “What’s your name?”

There’s a deep dimple in his left cheek. As Louis looks at it and then at Harry’s smiling mouth and eager eyes, for the first time in days, he feels a semblance of happiness.

“Louis.”

\---

Niall, Zayn, and Liam are poring over their phones and some papers, the news playing on the TV. The anchor is talking about a pipeline that just signed off to build through a wild life sanctuary. It fills Louis with dread.

“What are you doing?” he asks the others, forgetting that they’re not really speaking.

They all startle. Liam answers him, “Getting more information on this pipeline.”

“Why?” Louis questions, intentionally obtuse.

“Have to stop them,” Niall shrugs. There’s a steeliness in his eyes, as if he knows the game Louis is playing and daring him to argue. “They can build around the sanctuary. It’s too much of a risk going through. There are endangered animals living there.”

Louis bites, “We’re not strong enough to take on a mission of this scale.”

The boys determinedly avoid his gaze, staring intently at the papers.

“What?” Louis finally snaps.

“I’m looking up Anya’s family tree,” Zayn sighs, shoulders slumping.

The betrayal must show on his face because Zayn expands, voice a bit kinder. “Lou, we have to. It’s our responsibility.”

“I didn’t ask for this responsibility.”

\---

He stays late at the lab the next day redoing multiple tests on the levels of pollution in the sea water. It’s immensely frustrating when he has to run the same test for the fifth time because the water refuses to stay in the test tubes, mixing at random on some occasions, or simply flying out and floating as shapeless bubbles around Louis’ head. At least it serves its purpose in keeping him away from the flat and the boys.

Half ten. At night.

Louis rubs at his tired eyes and begins to pack his things, ignoring the incessant tapping of a bubble of water at his temple. He’s been a lot more adamant in his refusal to use his powers and they’re starting to retaliate. As today clearly demonstrated.

He locks the door of the lab behind him, stepping out into the lonely campus streets, head bent as he reads the latest news on the pipeline. Protests are being organised, various groups coming together. It leaves him uneasy.

“Watch out!”

Before his head lifts, Louis’ uneasiness is replaced with a fluttering of his heart. He senses Harry before he sees him and when he does, Louis doubles over in laughter.

“What is that?” he manages to get out between bouts of cackles, tears gathering in his eyes from how hard he’s laughing. It’s truly been too long.

Harry merely beams back, completely unbothered by Louis’ reaction. “She gets a bit cranky if I leave her home alone.”

It’s a piss poor explanation as to why Highness is sat in a pink pram, her name bedazzled along the top. Louis’ not sure what’s worse: the pram itself or Highness sat like she’s a human.

There are so many questions running through Louis’ head. He finally settles on, “Why doesn’t she have a tiara?”

“I tried,” Harry sighs woefully. “She scratched me when I put it on her.”

“Mhm, she does tend to do that.” Louis takes in the cat, still as white as ever, still as snooty as ever. If she had dexterity in her paws, the look she’s giving him says he’d be receiving the middle finger. “Why a pram?”

Harry scoffs, “Please. Can you imagine her in a carrier? It’s not up to her standards. Besides, she’s too,” Harry shoots a discreet look at Highness and then leans over to whisper in Louis’ ear, “heavy to carry around.”

There’s no way she possibly heard Harry’s words, yet Highness lets out a long, angry hiss, and starts to claw at the pram. It’s not enough to distract Louis from the way his ear feels like it’s on fire.

“Oh, I’m sorry love,” Harry placates, producing a sardine out of thin air and offering it to Highness in his open palm. He’s a brave soul.

Highness contemplates Harry’s offer, eventually reaching out a paw and accepting the fish.

“So, Louis,” Harry drawls, once his cat is fed and happy. “How have you been?”

“Since you saw me yesterday? Well, thank you.” Louis finds that the lie doesn’t really damper his emotions, a low buzz of giddiness keeping his anger and frustrations at bay. “You?”

“Can’t complain,” Harry says breezily, falling in step with Louis.

“Why are you working so late?”

“Work an actual paid job in the mornings. Leaves the evenings for my Masters work.”

“And Highness tags along with you everywhere?”

“Just to the university. I work at a bakery in the mornings,” Harry sighs. “Can’t take her there. It’s rather unfortunate.”

Louis has no idea how spending time away from that cat would be considered unfortunate.

“She’s not bad once you get to know her,” Harry protests.

“Don’t mind me if I don’t choose to believe you,” Louis smirks.

“Poor Highness,” Harry dimples back. “So misjudged.”

“How did she get her name?”

Harry grins, “She wouldn’t really respond to anything when I first rescued her and she’s got that air around her. Like she’s royalty. So I just started referring to her as ‘Your Highness’ and eventually it stuck.”

“Fitting,” Louis snorts.

They get to a fork in the road and Harry stops. “I’m going this way,” he points to the opposite direction of Louis’ flat.

“I’m the other way.” His mind fills with an image of Harry kissing him good night and Louis ducks his head down to hide his blush.

Harry clears his throat, blushing as well. “Would you like to – uh, like, maybe – like –

“Spit it out, Harold,” Louis teases, belying the way his heart is starting to buzz.

“Would you like to go out for a coffee?” Harry blurts.

Louis wrinkles his nose.

“Tea?” Harry amends.

“Much better.”

“I’m a bit busy these days, but next week?”

“I’ll look forward to it.” It’s amazing how easily a smile lights his face, his troubles so far away when Harry looks at him with such intensity.

“I’ll be the one with the pink pram,” Harry promises.

“Does she have to come as well?”

 Harry’s answering laugh is light, buoyant. “I could find something to keep her occupied.”

“It’s a date.”

“Yeah. G’night, Louis.”

Louis waves, loathe to turn around, watching Harry’s retreating form. Parting is such sweet sorrow.

“That I shall say good night til it be morrow,” Harry calls out, laughing as he disappears into the night.

Louis freezes, turning around slowly. He didn’t fucking say that out loud.

\---

“There’s a cupcake for you,” Liam says in greeting when Louis walks through the door. The others remain silent, heads bent over their work. Louis glimpses what looks like a family tree and his blood runs cold, the warmth he’d gained from Harry vanishing into thin air.

“Thanks, but I’m not hungry,” Louis whispers, eyes lingering on the red and white pastry box on the kitchen island.

\---

He sleeps fitfully that night, the nightmares seemingly more vivid than before, quickly overthrowing the early dreams of green eyes and pink lips. He wakes late because of it, the flat quiet when he eventually gets out of bed. Just as he’s getting the kettle on, Zayn walks in.

“Oh, you’re at home,” Zayn greets. His eyes widen, looking past Louis. “Lou, watch out!”

Louis turns just in time to see the water leaving the kettle, crackling angrily in its boiling state, a breath away from his nose. A blast of fire pushes the water back into the sink, and Louis backs away from the chaos, slumping into Zayn’s arms.

“The fuck, Lou?” Zayn tightens his grip on Louis. “Why is your power attacking you?”

“Not attacking,” Louis trembles. “Like you said, demanding my attention. Haven’t been using it.”

“Lou,” Zayn sighs. He presses a soft kiss into Louis’ hair causing Louis’ throat to tighten. He missed him. The lot of them.

“Got some muffins for you,” Zayn lifts a bag off the floor and pulls out a box of chocolate chip muffins. Louis recognises the logo from the box of cupcakes yesterday. He digs into this one eagerly, silently rejoicing when he discovers they’re still warm.

Zayn walks over to the coffee table, strewn with papers and news articles, picking up a stack and tossing them in the rubbish.

“Family trees weren’t working. Anya’s relative could literally be anyone.” Zayn answers Louis’ questioning look, sparking another burst of warmth within Louis.

He thinks he’ll stay home today.

\---

The next day, Louis stays in again. It gives Liam the opportunity to take him out to the roof.

“Look, Lou,” Liam says, eyes rounded in excitement.

Liam sweeps his gaze over the roof, collecting pebbles from each corner until about twenty are floating in the air above them. He then glances at Louis and grins, closing his eyes. The pebbles fall as one, landing in what should be a precarious tower, with how they’re balancing one on top the other. The tower Liam creates though, is sturdy and immovable, even with the strong winds today.

Louis’ impressed.

“Zayn told me about yesterday.”

Ah. That explains the little demonstration.

“I get you’re upset,” Liam says quietly. “But you can’t get rid of your powers, Lou. Especially with how strong they’ve gotten. You don’t have to use them to save the world. Just – just, _use_ them.”

“I’ll think about it.”

They spend the rest of the hour in silence.

\---

Niall is the last one to come home that day, bringing with him some fresh bread to go with the spaghetti he’s making for supper. Louis joins the boys for a meal for the first time that week, trying to help when he can, pulling the bread from the now familiar red and white paper bag and cutting it into slices.

Supper’s a quiet affair, tension still palpable. Liam’s happily talking to the lot of them, Zayn’s a bit tepid with his interactions with Louis, and Niall - Niall’s out right ignoring Louis. To make matters worse, the water in Louis’ glass decides to act up half way through the meal, flying out in an arc and landing on his bread with a damp gurgle.

Maybe ignoring his powers wasn’t such a brilliant idea.

\---

Louis changes up his schedule the next day, taking a walk to the sea. He hides in a secluded alcove hewn into the rock, recognising Liam’s work easily. Taking a deep breath, he closes his eyes and lets go.

The water in the air begins to vibrate. He feels their pinpricks across the span of his exposed skin, allowing himself to relish in the feeling he used to chase as a kid with a magic ring. He no longer has his ring with him and it changes the experience. His power feels more centered, coming from within and not an extension of his finger.

He can do this.

He opens his eyes and gasps.

The sea has risen from the shore to meet him, curling around the alcove and cornering Louis in. In this cocoon there’s no rush from a restless water, the noise of the sea blocked. There’s an immeasurable quiet, the water shimmering before him as if waiting his command.

He reaches out and lays a flat hand against the highest point of the arc he can touch.

Immediately, a curl of water wraps around his hand, twirling around the length of his arm and then moving to wrap around his body. It’s almost like a rope, only infinitely silkier and smoother, and as it leaves one part of his body to move to the next, he finds he remains dry. A strand makes its way to his shoulder, the water tickling his neck, until it – and really, Louis’ cannot think of another word for what the water is doing – laps at his cheek.

He giggles. He hadn’t realised how much he’d _missed_ his power.

He spends hours in the alcove. Just him and his water.

He uses it to drill holes into stone, lift incredibly heavy pieces of rock and throw them yards away. He reaches deep into himself, feeling for the furthest molecules of the sea, crowing in delight when he sees a stream shoot out of the sea, a good kilometer away from where he’s standing. He’s unable to create shapes with the water, something he’s always tried to do. It doesn’t bother him too much, settling down in the sand and feeling for negative emotions from the sea, often signifying garbage that’s either floating or settled at the base. He spends the rest of his time drawing out the garbage until he’s surrounded by a pile of plastic bottles and cans, old clothes and debris from picnics.

It’s late when he decides to go home, stunned to notice that aside from hunger grumbling in his stomach, he’s not tired. Previously, he could spend a maximum of an hour using his power with his ring, before the fatigue took over and he’d have to stop.

He’s excited to go home, perhaps even share with the boys what he’s done all day. The more he thinks about how happy they’ll be, the more enthusiastic he gets, feet happily slapping the stone of the pavement, a new bounce in his steps. He picks up his pace when he nears their building, breaking out into a run up the stairs, too energised to wait for the lift. He flings the door open, ready to share his news.

His greeting dies on his lips, mouth falling slack, the door bouncing off the wall. Liam, Niall, and Zayn are sitting at the sofa as usual, drinking cups of tea. What’s not usual is the guest they have with them, a curly haired, green eyed boy, who’s got a fucking fat cat in his arms.

A strong wave of arousal hits him so hard that his cock fattens, and he holds on to the door tightly, fingers turning white.

“What…?”

“Louis,” Harry greets him, dimpling adorably.

But Louis ignores him to focus his attention on the others.

He’s attacked by feelings of trepidation, excitement, and a deep sadness that’s definitely emanating from Niall. No. Fucking no. The last time he felt the boys so acutely –

No.

“You can’t deny it, Lou,” Zayn says.

Except, Zayn’s mouth hasn’t moved. Louis’ been watching him and his _mouth has not moved._

“No,” Louis shakes his head for emphasis, finding the strength to push off the door and walk further into the room.

“Louis?” Harry asks, face contorted in confusion.

 _"They have the same eyes."_ And because Louis’ prepared this time, he recognises Liam speaking to him. Telepathically. Through Harry. Using Harry’s brain to communicate with the others.

Oh god. Fucking hell. He can’t do this. _He can’t_ do _this._

He turns around and runs out the door, scrambling his way back to the sea, tears blurring his vision. It’s only when he reaches the alcove, the pile of rubbish still left there for Louis to pack it into a bag, does he truly think of Liam’s words.

With a choking gasp he realises how _right_ Liam is. He’s just been so lost in Harry’s green that he never connected how they were the exact same shape as Anya’s.

\---

Harry fits right in. Louis isn’t sure what the others told him, but from that day on, Harry is around _all_ the bloody time. He comes over right after his shift at the bakery, hands full with a different red and white box of baked goods, laptop for his Masters work, and papers from his research on the pipeline. And of course, with him comes the cat. The dratted cat and its obnoxiously bedazzled belongings that sit in the corner of the room.

Given Harry’s poor control of his powers, everyone’s mind is an open book. It forces Louis to keep to himself, not only too afraid to hear what the others are thinking of him, but terrified that they’ll pick up on how badly his body wants Harry. _Body,_ Louis resolutely sticks to. He still feels betrayed that the one he’s been horribly lusting after is the person to replace Anya. So Louis takes to spending his days in the lab and his evenings by the sea. He’s too scared to go home, a perpetual war raging in his head over his longing for his boys, the betrayal, and the constant desire he feels whenever he’s around Harry.

Which now, is apparently all the time.

\---

Then, the pipeline starts to get built, contractors pushing passed the mass of protestors gathered before it. The boys watch from afar, the TV always on, the pile of research growing by the day, increasing evidence of the impending violence and shoddy construction work that is sure to damage reserves and animals.  Louis gets nervous, not privy to their plans due to his self-imposed isolation. He switches tactics and instead of being out all the time, he lives his days in his room, unwilling to be too far away from the boys lest they do something crazy and dangerous. He knows they’re getting antsy waiting about.

He lies in his bed sending blobs of water bouncing off the furniture in his room. His door’s open so he can hear the discussions, Harry having quickly mastered how to block his mind so that his thoughts aren’t projected onto others, and vice versa. It puts a damper on Louis’ ability to eavesdrop.

His door creaks open further and Louis sits up. No one meets his gaze until he drops it lower and it falls on the little brat. Highness had started sitting on Louis’ seat on the sofa, hissing at him whenever he walked by. She doesn’t seem to have a problem with the others as long as they didn’t get in her way.

Louis collects the water he had been playing with into a ball and holds it as a weapon, daring Highness to get closer. She yawns and turns around, placing a paw on the door. Just as Louis is about to relax back into his bed, Highness spins around artfully and pounces up onto the bed, moving with surprising dexterity.

Louis scrambles onto his knees, crawling backward, his heels hitting the bed frame.

“Stay away,” he pushes the ball of water toward her, stopping until its a few inches from her face.

Highness stretches out her tongue and licks the blob. Her mouth stretches into a smirk, morphed by the water to make her look even more evil. She waddles around the water ball, right up to Louis, clearly laughing at his frozen state. She spares no heed to his water which is following her closely, as she digs her claws into his clothes, climbing up his body. She ends up perching on his head, digging painfully into his hair, making herself comfortable.

Fuck, she’s heavy.

“Get off,” Louis whines.

Highness responds by pinching his scalp.

He’s too scared to make any loud sounds, so he resorts to doing the one thing he’d avoided ever since he found out Harry was Anya’s relative.

Closing his eyes, he opens his mind, searching for Harry’s. It had never been a process he had to think about with Anya, having grown up so closely with her, their minds being practically one. It’s almost the same with Harry: the moment he relaxes his thoughts, he can feel Harry surround him.

_Get your cat off me!_

Harry doesn’t respond and Louis starts sweating, neck hurting from having to hold Highness up. He hears footsteps, following by a mix between a quack and a bark, which turns out to be how Harry laughs.

“Do something,” Louis glares, refusing to be charmed by the image of Harry doubled over.

His doorway fills even further, the others summoned by Harry’s noise. If Louis was annoyed with them before, he hates them now, all too busy laughing to even bother helping him.

“You don’t hate us,” Harry snorts, crossing Louis’ room to pick up Highness. Louis sighs in relief, rotating his neck and wincing at the strain.

“Yes I do,” Louis pouts, watching Highness jump off Harry’s arms and trot toward Niall, wrapping herself around his ankles. “Especially her.”

“She’s a good judge of character,” Niall says softly, leaving the room. And suddenly, the hilarity dissipates.

His words sting.

“Come join us,” Harry sits on Louis’ bed when Liam and Zayn follow Niall out. He touches the ball of water Louis had been playing with, still surprisingly intact. “They miss you.”

“I doubt that.”

“I miss you,” Harry bites his lip, a finger reaching out to caress the jut of Louis’ ankle.

Louis can’t take his eyes of Harry’s finger, yearning for more of his touch. “You barely even know me. Can’t miss me all that much.”

The rest of Harry’s fingers wrap around Louis’ ankle, squeezing lightly. “I do miss you. And I want to know you. We still have a tea date to go on.” His eyes catch on Louis’, drawing him in. “Please, come join us. For me?”

\---

It takes him some time to listen to Harry and wrangle the much needed courage. He makes his tea in the kitchen the next morning, tentatively walking to the sofa where the boys are gathered. He takes in the blankets and pillows lying on the side, eyes quickly flickering to Anya’s locked door. Harry must be staying some nights on the sofa.

It’d be comical the way the conversation dies. If it wasn’t so terribly unfunny.

“Uh,” Louis clears his throat. “What are you doing?”

It’s definitely comical how long it takes for them to close their mouths and actually say something.

“We’re coming up with a plan,” Harry answers him. “Ziam are calculating –

“Ziam?” Louis cuts him off.

“Oh,” Harry grins broadly, “they’ve been working together and it’s much too long to say Zayn and Liam. So they’re team Ziam, and we’re team Narry.”

“Narry,” Louis repeats. He thought they were doing actual work, not coming up with couple names. He’s never really seen Harry interact with the group and he doesn’t know if he should laugh or cry. He might be overreacting.

“It’s, uh, Niall’s and my name? Together. Like you could say ‘Narry’ instead of Harry and Niall. It kind of, saves time…” Harry trails off, staring at Louis and pinching his lip between his fingers.

“What if there’s a team of three?” Louis asks, attempting humour. 

“Not sure. I hadn’t, uh, hadn’t really thought that far.” Harry’s eyebrows furrow and Louis wants to smooth it out with his fingers. Maybe kiss him while he’s at it.

“Harry’s gotten better at controlling the telepathy,” Zayn says casually, “but when he’s preoccupied, he’s still quite shit at it.” He smirks at Louis.

Louis blushes a deep crimson.

“What Harry was saying,” Liam grins, looking much too delighted, “Zayn and I have been doing calculations of the stability of the pipes and it’s not looking good. There’s a test run planned for the first section of the pipe in a week and we don’t think it will withstand the pressure of the oil.”

“We’re hoping to be down there to prevent a leak and perhaps stop the rest of the construction,” Zayn finishes.

Louis’ throat seizes. He forces himself to continue, addressing Niall and Harry. _Narry._ “And you two?”

Harry looks at Niall and when he doesn’t speak up, he sighs. “We need to protect ourselves. We’re only in control of our own elements but we’re still vulnerable to the others. And then there’s the manmade weapons.”

 _Protection_. Finally someone is thinking with a logical mind.

“Here,” Harry pats the seat on the floor beside him for Louis to sit. Highness hisses when Louis rearranges his limbs but she stays away. “Niall and I are working on clothing.”

“Clothing,” Louis says in disbelief. “Like costumes.” The sheets of metal and fabric that are scattered around the room suddenly make sense.

Harry nods, curls flying wildly, dimples deep with excitement. “We can leave our powers active in molecules even if we’re not around them.”

“Wait, what?”

“Yeah. Zayn can leave fire burning overnight, Liam’s got a tower of rocks that just stays on the roof. I’m sure your water could do the same.”

Louis nods, encouraging Harry to continue, though he’s starting to understand where this is going.

“Liam stole some sheet metal from his lab and reworked the elemental molecules in the metal so they can repel anything that comes toward it with the same molecules. That will cover most things like bullets, rock, falling beams.”

“It’s obviously not as strong as my actual power, but it’ll be something,” Liam says. “Even if it just slows down the speed of the object.”

“It’s sick,” Louis admits reluctantly. He’s unable to shake the thought that it still won’t be enough.

“Zayn’s sealed off the clothes with fire –“

“Sealed it with fire?” Louis scoffs.

“Heat can bind things together,” Zayn says irritated. “I’ve made it so the shields can withstand high degrees of heat.”

“And Niall,” Harry rushes to placate, “he’s manipulated the air molecules within so if you’re falling, you’ll always be less dense than the surrounding air, slowing down the descent.” He pulls at his lip again, fixing earnest eyes on Louis. “Can you, um, help with your power?”

Louis wants to say no. He doesn’t need Harry to sense the excitement in the boys. The eagerness to get back out there. He knows that if he contributes to the costume, they’ll be overcome with a foolish invincibility. It’ll make them careless.

He really wants to say no.

“Sure.”

Harry gets up and brings a pile of black cloth to Louis. He shakes out one, holding it out for Louis. And Louis’ eyes well.

Unfolded he can see that the costume isn’t fully black. There’s a deep red over the hands and feet, chest and shoulders, and it stands out beautifully against the black. The world over the chest shines a bright blue. It’s a clear homage to Captain Planet.

“No underwear?” Louis sniffles.

“Liam wanted them,” Zayn says.

“All the cool superheroes do it,” Liam protests.

“No,” Zayn sends him a fondly exasperated look.

Louis reaches a hand to the material and instantly he feels a pull toward the boys. It’s wholly consuming and so powerful that he gasps, turning to them with large eyes.

“Fucking hell.”

“Cool, right?” Harry beams. “So you’ll do it?”

Louis nods, closing his eyes. He senses the others strongly, almost as if –

 _“It’s more powerful if we’re connected,”_ Harry speaks into his mind.

It’s true. He feels the boys like they’re a part of him. In every beat of his heart, through every molecule that runs through his body. His eyes fly open.

Slowly, he reaches for each one of them at a time, connecting with them individually. He feels for the water that’s making up 70% of their body and draws out the molecules from each boy till he’s got a droplet the size of a nail from everyone. Louis mixes the drops together until he can no longer tell which molecule came from whom and divides them amongst the suits. Concentrating with all his might, he leaves some power within the suits, so those water droplets repel any other water.

 _“Done?”_ Harry asks

Louis nods.

“Does it work?” Zayn pokes at a suit.

Louis hands him a glass of water. “Try it.”

Zayn upends the entire thing onto the suit. They all watch as the water rushes toward the black material and stops short, floating a centimeter above it.

“Sick,” Liam draws out, and Louis laughs. He runs his hand over the emblem of the world that sat over Captain Planet’s chest.

“The Captain’s world was gold,” Louis frowns. “This is blue.”

“Uh,” Liam starts. “We did it for Anya. It’s the same shade –

“As her eyes,” Louis says. He closes his eyes and sees hers, how they’d looked at him right before she died, and his excitement washes away. “This is stupid. These costumes aren’t going to help. They can’t save our lives.” He gets up to leave, ignoring Highness’ hissing and Harry’s crestfallen face. He should have stayed away.

“Just because you grew up with Anya, doesn’t mean you have a monopoly on mourning her death.”

Louis stops, turning toward Niall. It’s the first time he’s said anything to Louis in… _fuck¸_ Louis can’t even remember how long it’s been since Niall spoke to him. His eyes are hard, lined red with tears. Or anger. More likely anger.

“You’ve been a fucking cunt since she died, like you’re the only one beat up over what happened, too fucking wrapped in your own self-pity that you haven’t even noticed anyone else’s pain. And now, now you’re just hiding away from this _gift_ because you’re too busy being a coward. Anya would be ashamed. Ashamed that you ever called her - _family._ ”

Niall’s voice cracks on the last word, chest heaving. He flinches when Highness jumps into his lap, her purrs filling the suffocating silence that drops within the room. Louis’ trembling where he’s standing, the words repeating over and over and over until they become a loud, angry buzzing. He doesn’t know how long he stands there, moved into action when Harry reaches for him and Louis jerks back.

He doesn’t know how he makes it to his room or what he does for the rest of the day.

\---

He wakes up panting, his face wet with tears. The dreams were worse tonight: instead of Anya dying, she had joined forces with the boys, destroying the Earth and laughing when Louis couldn’t do anything to stop them, telling him he was never worthy of their ambitions, their strength, _them._

“Louis?” A soft voice greets from his door. “I’m sorry, I’m not very good at controlling my mind when I’m sleeping and, um, your dream was particularly intense, tonight. I – I thought I’d check up on you.”

Louis opens his mouth to speak, but he’s unable to, the words cutting off too quickly.

“Oh, Lou,” Harry breathes, moving into the room to lie down next to Louis. He gathers Louis into his arms, and though he tries, Louis can’t resist. “Let go, Lou. You have to let go.”

He tries to fight against Harry’s hold. He truly does. Except Harry’s got him wrapped up in his strong arms, his scent completely engulfing Louis. In all of Louis’ life, he can’t ever recall being held like this, by someone bigger than him, stronger than him. He feels exposed, raw; and yet, so incredibly whole, that he finally lets go. He cries for the mentor he lost. For the closest thing he had to a sister. For the boys he’s lost even though they’re right next door. He doesn’t know how long he cries, his face sticky and eyes sore when he eventually stops, the odd hiccup wracking his body.

“Feel better?” Harry mouths into his hair, when there’s nothing to disrupt the silence.

“They hate me,” Louis whispers.

“They _don’t_ ,” Harry unlatches an arm to fumble with the lamp by Louis’ bed. Louis can’t stop the whimper of protest that escapes his mouth. The room is bathed in a muted glow, casting warm shadows across the walls. Louis ducks his head, refusing to let Harry see him like this. It’s enough that he had to be held like a needy child.

“Stop,” Harry orders, large hands coming to cradle Louis’ face and lift it. Louis has no choice but to meet Harry’s eyes, so green, and so earnest. “They don’t hate you. No one hates you.”

“Niall does,” and his eyes well up again, which should be impossible with how much he’s already cried.

Harry sighs. “Niall is – he’s hurt. He uh – I wasn’t meant to see this – but he misses you, Louis. Fuck, this is so wrong.”

Harry closes his eyes and Louis feels the telltale nudge against his mind. It suddenly fills with the image Harry’s thinking off.

 _Thirteen year old Louis sits under a tree. It’s not_ their _tree. No, because Anya is sitting under their tree, with someone else. That stupid, dark haired, blithering, Irish eleven year old that showed up a few days ago. Being the oldest in the orphanage, the new ones were Anya’s responsibility. It’s her last year with Louis at the orphanage, before she has to leave and it’s unfair that she has to spend so much time away from him. Now this kid is making it worse, tagging along behind her like a puppy._

_“What’s wrong, Nialler?” Anya asks, ruffling the kid’s hair._

_Niall looks at her with worried eyes, “I don’t think he likes me much.”_

_“Who?”_

_“Louis,” Niall whispers._

_“Nonsense,” Anya slings an arm over Niall’s shoulders. “Louis loves you. He just doesn’t know it yet.”_

_Niall scrunches his face skeptically._

_Anya laughs, “You’re part of our little family now, yeah? You’re the little brother that Louis’ always wanted. Brothers love each other, even if they fight. Give him some time.”_

The scene changes to another memory that Harry drags up, Louis' own versions mixing with Niall's. 

_“Hey Nialler, come on,” Louis wrestles the sheets that twelve year old Niall is clutching to his body and shoves his way in to wrap his arms around the crying boy. “Don’t cry, love.”_

_“But she’s_ gone,” _Niall sobs, doing piss poor job of keeping quiet._

 _“She promised she’d visit often. And now that she’s out of here, she can find out more information on our_ powers.”

_As soon as Louis says the word, Niall’s crying ceases, fingers rubbing at the ring that he’d found in his milk a week before Anya’s eighteenth birthday._

_“Will you tell me the story again? Of Gaia?” Niall hiccups. He goes shy all of a sudden, “And stay with me until I fall asleep?”_

_Louis snuggles in further and holds him tighter. “Of course. You think I’m going to leave my little brother all alone?”_

The scene changes one more time, to one much more recent. It’s the last time they saw Gaia.

_Gaia touches the water that’s surrounding Louis, the water cocoon falling apart and onto Louis. Louis goes into his outburst, his words echoing._

_“And all it’s done is take away the only family I’ve ever had. The only person that I’ve ever loved, just gone.”_

Because it’s Niall’s version of the events, this time, Louis can acutely feel how Niall’s heart breaks.

“No more,” Louis mumbles through the new wetness that’s cascading down his face. How could he - how could – fuck, he’s the worst.

“You were upset,” Harry thumbs at Louis’ tears, waiting for them to subside again. “You said things you didn’t mean.”

“How can he think he’s _not_ family? Doesn’t he _know_ how much he means to me?”

Harry’s silent for a long time. “He does. But he’s hurting just as much as you are, Lou. His thoughts and emotions are so strong. I thought I had a hard time with you, but in a way he’s worse. I can’t keep him out. He’s constantly thinking about what you said and second guessing, like – well, your entire relationship. Wait, what are you doing?”

“I have to go to him,” Louis protests, struggling to get out of Harry’s hold.

“Louis, stop.” Harry tightens his arms around Louis, pulling him back into bed. “This can wait till the morning. I don’t think he’ll appreciate being woken up at two in the morning.”

Louis wants to argue, but he’s exhausted and Harry might be right.

“Of course I’m right,” Harry grins, rubbing a large, warm palm up Louis’ back. A shiver wracks Louis’ body and he sighs, relaxing into Harry’s warmth.

“Sleep now, yeah? You’ll feel better as well.”

Louis snorts.

“I was thinking,” Harry bites his lip, “if I sleep here, I can try shielding your mind. Might help the nightmares.”

Louis’ breath hitches, eyes boring into the darkened green of Harry’s. There’s a tendril of hope, of the possibility of a good night’s sleep that ensnares him. “Okay.”

Harry lets out a shaky smile, reaching over to turn off the lamp. His arms find Louis again, a steady hand drawing him in and running slowly up the expanse of Louis’ back. In the darkness of the night, the heady _want_ that had been muted suddenly alights under Harry’s touch, under the warm breath that hits Louis’ skin when Harry says, “Niall will come round.” Then he places a tender kiss to Louis’ hair, sating him in a way that’s so foreign, yet so comforting.

The last thing Louis says before sleep pulls him in, the dewy scent of Harry engulfing his senses is, “You didn’t have to go to all this trouble to get into my bed.”

The last thing he feels is Harry’s body shaking with laughter.

\---

Louis drums at the granite counter. When he’d woken up from a very restful sleep, there hadn’t been anyone in the house. He’d thought of texting Niall but quickly discarded that idea.

“Will you stop?” Liam grumbles from where he’s busy doing some complex engineering calculations.

“Sorry,” Louis mumbles, stilling his fingers. He starts up again a second later.

“Seriously, Louis, what the hell?” Zayn growls.

“Where’s Niall?” Louis bursts.

“Why?” Liam asks, warily.

Just then, the front door opens and Harry walks in pushing Highness in her pram. Behind him, Louis sees Niall’s signature bottle blonde locks. He steels himself. He can do this. He stalks over to Niall, shoulders set in a determined line. He can feel the other’s eyes and he doesn’t care.

“I’m famished, what’s for – fuck, Lou,” Niall yelps, when he turns away from locking the door, only to be attacked by Louis in his space.

“I cannot _believe_ you would think that I think that you’re not my family. You’re so fucking… _dumb_ ,” Louis sputters. Then he grabs Niall’s face in his hands and plants a loud kiss on his lips.

“Louis,” Niall whines, pushing him away. “Did you have to? What has gotten – “ his eyes fall on a sheepish Harry. “No privacy with that one around.”

“I’m sorry, love, I’m so sorry,” Louis pulls him into a hug, Niall’s resistance futile. “I love you so much. I should’ve turned to you and I didn’t. You’re right. I was selfish and a coward and -” Louis doesn’t finish, tears chocking off his words.

“And a cunt,” Zayn adds helpfully.

“All of it. Everything bad.”

“Oh, for fucks sake.” Niall walks to the sofa, struggling with how Louis’ hanging off him like a rag doll.

“Are you going to have sex tonight?” Liam asks, patting Louis’ hair when Niall falls onto the sofa, Louis landing on top of him. Louis refuses to listen to them. He’s apologising.

Harry makes a strangled sound. “Is that something you, uh, _do?”_

Louis’ very tempted to correct Harry’s thought process, but right now, Niall is more important.

“Gerrof, Lou!” Niall pinches Louis’ bum. “Harry’s going to cut my balls off if you don’t _get off_.”

“Here,” Zayn rounds the sofa. Suddenly, Louis feels a flame at his foot and he startles. Liam uses the leverage to toss Louis off Niall and onto the floor.

“Worst apology ever,” Niall grumbles.

“I kissed you!” Louis glares, rubbing his arse. “I also bought you a crate of Guinness.”

Niall’s face lights up and he leans down to wipe Louis’ tear stained cheeks. “Best apology ever.” And then he smacks his lips against Louis’.

“Seriously,” Harry whispers, a bit hysterical. “Is that something they _do_?!”

“Not just them,” Liam says.

Harry’s eyes widen.

“’S’all of us. One giant orgy. Part of being in the Planeteers. Now that these two have made up, you can join in on our next one.” Zayn stares into Harry’s eyes, running a seductive hand down Harry’s arm.

“I- uh- “ Harry fishmouths at them, eyes frantically roving over the boys.

And then Niall’s cackling so hard, his face a scary red, and Harry scowls. He picks up Highness in his arms and pouts at them. “Hate you all.”

\---

“You should have said something,” Louis knocks his bottle of Guinness against Niall’s. The sunset paints the sky a pretty orange, reflecting off the brick of the building across.

Niall sighs. “I know. Zayn and Liam –

“You mean Ziam.”

“Fuck off. They kept pushing me to talk to you. But…”

“It’s okay, Neil.” Louis whispers, slinging an arm around him. “I was being stupid too. So stupid. ‘M sorry.”

“So you’ve said.” Niall’s smiling now, eyes so much lighter.

“And you _are_ my family. Best brother I could ever hope for.”

“Will you come with us, now?”

Louis swallows around the sudden bile in his throat, “Us not talking was never the reason for me sitting out of this mission.”

“Lou…” Niall begins.

“Maybe it means I’m a coward,” Louis shakes his head. “Or whatever. I just – I just got you back.”

Niall rolls his eyes. “You’ve always been so dramatic.”

“I don’t know,” Louis whispers.

“You’re not the only one who’s scared, Lou. That’s why we’re taking precautions.”

“The suits are great but they’re not enough.”

Niall hums, staring at the building. “Think about it at least?”

“Okay.” It’s the least Louis can offer.

“If you’re done being emotional, can you come back in? Harry’s starting to worry and it’s setting Highness off.” Zayn pops his head out the window.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Louis groans.

\---

Louis is decidedly tipsy. Buzzed. Drunk. Fucked up. He’s not too particular about the descriptor. Anything that can adequately describe him drinking like, _a lot_ of alcohol.

“I would like to say,” Louis moves off the sofa to stand up in front of the others. They’re not sober either. The room is a little spinny when he stands so he decides to kneel instead. _Much_ better. “I love you all. And you’re all my family. Best things that ever happened to me. Love you so much. Even _her._ ” He points to Highness, who, really should be very glad to have been remembered. Highness thanks him by turning her back to him.

Well fuck her very much.

“You,” he crawls very slowly to Niall. It’s better this way. Gravity cannot best him. “You’re my brother. My _bro._ My Nialler.” He puts the bottle of Guinness down and grabs Naill’s cheeks in his hands, kissing him with a loud smack.

He crawls to Zayn next, smiling dopily up at him. “You’re my brother too. Like my second brother, because I knew Neil first. Then you come next. After.” He kisses Zayn as well.

“And _you,”_ Louis makes his way to Liam after a few _struggles_ with his coordination. “You’re also my family. Like the third brother. But just as important.”

“Are you going to kiss me too?” Liam asks, his lips pursed with how hard Louis’ squeezing his cheeks.

“Of course,” Louis scoffs. He tries to roll his eyes too, but it makes him dizzy. Then he plants one on Liam.

“Is this how the orgy starts?” Harry whispers. His head is hanging off the end of the sofa, hair falling around messily. He’s very pretty.

“No orgy,” Niall slurs. He pats Harry clumsily.

“Oh. Okay.” Harry sounds a bit disappointed, sitting up, his eyes following Louis who’s crawling toward him.

It’s much more difficult actually climbing _up_ the sofa, than just pulling Harry down to him, like he’d done with the others. But Louis’ nothing if not determined. Niall and Zayn help Louis until he’s perched on Harry’s lap, legs on either side of Harry’s hips. Even through the haze of the alcohol, this one is different.

“Hi,” Harry whispers. He’s smiling lazily at Louis, lips red from the alcohol. They look so soft and Louis wants to touch. Like really. Really desperately. So he does, reaching out a careful hand and thumbing softly at Harry’s lip. _Fuck._ It’s _softer_ than he’d imagined.

Louis whimpers.

“Is this normal foreplay?” Niall asks.

“Shh,” Liam berates.

“I don’t know you as well as the others,” Louis admits, pouting at Harry. “But I will. Then we’ll be family too.”

“Will he be your brother as well?” Liam smirks.

“Brothers.” Louis scoffs. Unlikely. More like husbands. He smiles dopily at Harry, leaning in to feel the softness against his own lips.

Highness jumps between them, startling Louis who falls backwards. He thinks he’s going to hit his head on the coffee table and it’s really quite sad that he’ll die before kissing Harry.

“Why am I not falling?” Louis asks, eyes still closed. He feels the pocket of wind holding his head up and he sighs. “Never mind. I really hate that cat.”

\---

He’s got quite a headache when he startles awake the next day, Highness purring at him from the foot of his bed.

“Lou,” Zayn pops his head in. “Hurry. Meeting in five.”

Louis gingerly gets out of bed and trudges into the kitchen, Highness following at his heels. “Why won’t she leave me alone?”

No one answers him, eyes glued to the TV.

“There are reports of a leak in the pipeline, causing an increase in violence as protesters get more aggressive. There have been serious injuries from police, but no reported deaths.”

Liam and Niall are already in their Planeteer suits, Zayn and Harry in half states of undress.

“We’ve got to go, Lou,” Niall says softly. “We’ve let it get too far.”

“Will you come with us?” Liam asks.

They’re all looking at him as if he’s fragile. And all he sees is the life leave Anya’s eyes, the danger that’s awaiting them. _Fuck._ He just got his boys back too.

“Lou, we won’t force you,” Zayn’s saying. But his voice is a distant echo, Louis’ mind filled with the scenes from their last fight, Liam trapped under a pile of rocks, Niall narrowly missing a bullet. His breathing becomes laboured, chest tight, the air suddenly gone from his lungs.

“ _Louis,”_ Harry’s voice floods his mind. The battle scenes fade into nothing, his mind abruptly empty. “ _Breathe with me, love. Count with me._ ” When he opens his eyes again, Harry’s face is swimming before his, hands clutched tightly in his own.

 _“You can stay, Lou.”_ Niall speaks to him through Harry. _“We’re not going to hate you if you stay.”_

\---

It’s been half an hour. Thirty minutes since his boys had left and he’s slowly going crazy. He doesn’t know what’s going on, the news all switched to a police press release about the pipeline. He’s sure he’s worn through the floor with his pacing, the guilt and worry eating him up. It’s worse not knowing. Much worse.

When he opens his eyes, the room is filled with suspended drops of water, as if they’re waiting his orders.

“Alright, alright!” Louis shouts, sending the water down the sink. “Gaia!”

“You called?” the ethereal goddess floats before him. She’s glowing again.

Louis crosses his arms, staring at her defiantly. He’s apologised to the others. He refuses to apologise to her.

“Nice costume.” Gaia smirks.

“It’s a Planeteer _suit._ ”

Gaia’s face softens considerably, the shimmering aura vanishing as she comes to stand in front of Louis. “I’m proud of you, my dear.” She caresses Louis’ cheek, his eyelashes fluttering close. “So proud.”

When he opens his eyes, he’s assaulted by the mess before him. The air is heavy with smoke of fired guns mixing with the spray of the ocean. There are shouts of injured cries from protesters, the ground covered in a solution of blood and oil. It’s a chaos like Louis has never seen before and for the first time in his life, he’s unsure of what to do during a mission.

“Zayn!” Louis calls, catching a glimpse of the line of fire that’s keeping the police away. He rushes toward him.

“Took you long enough,” Zayn grumbles. “I’d bet you’d show in ten minutes.”

Louis flips him off, focussing at the task at hand. “Your fire’s staying without you?”

“Powers are stronger, Lou.”

“Where are the others?”

“Niall and Liam are taking care of the oil spill and Harry’s healing the injured.”

“Harry’s doing what?!”

“Really, Lou?” Zayn groans. “Now is not the time for realisations. He healed your fucking scratch. There’s a huge spill in the ocean that went undetected and we need you.”

“Yeah,” Louis says rather dumbly.

“It’s chaotic right now, but the others should sense you soon.”

“What about the protestors?” Louis looks around worried. It doesn’t look like it’s dying down.

The fire rages higher, sending the oil company executives and police further back. “I’ll take care of it.”

 _“Lou?”_ Harry greets. “ _I knew you’d come.”_

 _“Dirty,”_ Niall joins in. “ _Mate, Harry’s preoccupied with the injured people right now, so he can’t speak to the animals.”_

 _“I’m sorry, I’ve never done it before - other than Highness, and it needs more concentration than I can afford.”_ Harry apologises.

“ _What do you want me to do?”_ Louis asks.

 _“Get to the water. There are whales and seals that need cleaning and they’re scared. If you can get them to the beach, Niall and I can start on getting the oil off their skin.”_ Liam joins in.

 _“I’ll be there soon,”_ Harry promises.

Louis races to the beach, heart pumping frantically. He loses track of time once he’s at the shore, sending gentle currents to the animals, until they follow his lead and swim up to the sand. He leaves streams of water shooting at the whales and school of fish so they remain hydrated while Niall and Liam work on cleaning the oil from them.

“I’ve taken care of everyone who was hurt,” Harry pants, running toward them. He looks exhausted. “The protestors have agreed to back down and let us handle this. Zayn’s talking with the police chief trying to get their side to stop as well.”

“And the oil company?” Liam asks.

Harry’s face hardens. “We’ll have to deal with them later. Where can I help?”

Niall points to a makeshift tank that he’s created with the wind to trap water around the injured animals on the beach. “They’ve been drowning in oil for the past few days. I’m not sure how much you can help them.”

“I can try,” Harry shoots off.

“That’s all the marine animals,” Louis says once he’s gone. “But the coral is still covered in oil and there’s a shit ton of it. How did you get the oil from the ground?” He wipes the sweat from his eyes.

“There wasn’t a lot,” Liam admits. “I separated the earth from the oil and Niall blew the oil into a barrel.”

“Fuck,” Louis sinks to the sand. He’s afraid he won’t be able to clean up the ocean. His head is a mess with how closely he can feel the water, each breath filled with the ocean screaming at him.

“What about that thing that the Captain did?” Niall suggests.

“What thing?”

 _“Just got the police to stop,”_ Zayn joins in. “ _I’m on my way. Nialler’s talking about the time he created a whirlpool to separate the oil and water by density and sucked all the oil out.”_

Louis’ heart stutters to a halt. There’s no way he’s strong enough.

“I’ve seen what you can do with your powers,” Liam touches Louis’ palm. “I had gone to the alcove by the sea one day to practice and you were already there. You’re powerful, Lou. You can do this.”

Louis closes his eyes, allowing his lungs to expand. The water is louder like this, he can sense the exact spots where the oil has leaked out, ruining his beautiful element. He doesn’t have as much faith in himself as Liam does –

“ _Not just Liam,”_ Niall grumbles.

Louis smirks. As all of the others do. But he’s going to give it a try. He has to.

A warm hand slips into his. _“We’re stronger when our powers combine,”_ Zayn says.

Louis opens his eyes to see Liam holding Zayn’s other hand, Niall at the very end.

 _“Coming,”_ Harry huffs, kicking up sand as he reaches for Louis open palm. It’s sticky with oil and blood and the minute he touches Louis' skin, a tremor shifts through the five.

Louis’ mouth falls open, eyes searching for the others. He catches Niall’s at the very end of the line, who grins widely at him, and yells, “Let’s fucking do this!”

Squeezing Zayn’s and Harry’s hands, Louis looks out to the ocean and braces himself.

 _“Earth.”_ Liam starts.

“ _Fire,”_ Zayn goes next.

“ _Wind,”_ Niall’s voice echoes.

Reaching for his power, drawing it in from the ocean, Louis adds, “ _Water.”_

He senses Harry taking a deep breath and Louis rubs his fingers reassuringly.

When Harry speaks, it’s almost as if his voice is entwined with Anya’s. _“Heart.”_

There’s no Captain that flies out, no sign on the outside that anything’s different. On the inside though, Louis can suddenly _feel_ the other elements: the sand below them, the wind in the air, the fire that’s still raging down the beach, the intense connection to the animals and the boys.

 _“Fucking hell,”_ Niall exhales.

And this time, Louis doesn’t just hear his voice in his head, but he feels it from within, like he was the one who spoke.

“ _This is…”_ Liam starts.

 _“Insane!”_ Zayn finishes.

 _“Ready, Lou?”_ Harry asks.

Louis doesn’t need to nod to send them his answer. He takes another deep breath, and begins.

He focuses harder than he ever has in his life, drawing upon the energy from the other elements and channeling them toward the water. Along with Niall’s hold on the wind, he finds the pocket with the most oil and sets upon swirling the water. It’s slow at first, the connection to those molecules sluggish with the oil pollution hindering proper control, but he holds on, forcing the water to keep moving.

 _“You’ve got this,”_ Harry encourages.

Louis trembles, gathering more and more water to increase the depth and the spread of the whirlpool. He can feel the water separating from the oil, inch by inch, but it’s not nearly enough. There’s sweat gathering along his temples, the magnitude of what he’s attempting to achieve almost too much to conceive.

He senses Niall then, his power glowing brighter. It takes Louis a minute to realise that he’s using the wind to churl the water in the direction Louis’ going.

 _“Lads,”_ Liam gasps. _“Look.”_

Louis opens his eyes, mouth falling open. The ocean around the whirlpool has risen to ten feet above them, a large sink hole spanning twenty feet whirls ominously in between. The heavier oil sinks with every turn of the water, black and deadening. The ocean is absolutely deafening, roaring together with the wind, the howling and crashing drowning out the sound of the gathering crowd. He’s not sure when the five of them had walked toward the ocean, but Louis now finds them standing at the edge of the shore, the water a ferocious wall only centimeters away. With his eyes open, his other senses suddenly come alive, and Louis notices the way his body is shaking, the tremble echoed in the other five.

 _“My power isn’t strong enough to help Louis and get rid of the oil,”_ Niall wheezes in their minds.

” _If you get the oil closer to the bottom of the ocean, I can use the sand to force it into the pipe,”_ Liam offers.

” _I can seal the pipe shut,”_ Zayn adds.

_“Okay.”_

With another deep breath, Louis reaches far into his bones, searching for any remaining strength to increase the speed of the spinning water. The fatigue is reaching a point he’s never felt before, the amount of water he’s dealing with utterly draining. He feels his knees buckle, Harry’s and Zayn’s fingers digging into his to keep him up.

“ _Just a little more, Lou,”_ Harry urges. “ _Liam’s almost got the oil where he can reach it.”_

It’s like waves are crashing in his mind with every heaving breath and he’s starting to feel numb, when a loud cry cuts through. It’s a knee-jerk response to let go.

 _“Don’t,”_ Zayn commands, nails biting into Louis’ hand. _“You can’t lose focus. Liam’s almost there.”_

“ _It’s the CEO of the oil company,”_ Harry explains. _“Keep going, lads.”_

But it’s easier said than done, fighting a hundred gallons of oil against its natural flow and pushing it into a pipe.

 _“I can’t hold on much longer,”_ Louis manages to get out, teeth clashing with his fatigue and trembling body. He’s starting to lose control, the water in his own body rattling through his veins, leaving him sluggish yet bursting in pain.

“Give me,” Zayn screws his face, “two – “ his eyes fly open, the yellow of them blazing a bright orange, “seconds.”

As soon as the last sound dies from his lips, Louis falls to his knees. He can’t tell if the emanating crash is resounding within his head or around it. He manages to open his eyes, just in time to see the expanse of the ten feet of ocean hurling down.

\---

 _“Told you the suits would work,”_ Niall nudges smugly into his mind.

 _“Go away,”_ Louis complains. He’s rather calm right now. He’d like it to stay that way.

A wave of water splashes into his face and Louis sits up sputtering, only to wave his legs dramatically, discovering that he’s not in his bed, but floating on the ocean. Around him are the other four, each relaxing languidly on their backs, waves rocking them gently, their suits keeping them afloat.

“We did it,” Harry beams, patting a seal on its head as it swims by.

“The oil?” Louis asks.

Zayn grins, “Back in the pipe.”

“But, won’t it-“

“I filled the main rig with gravel,” Liam cuts Louis off. “Before you got here.”

Louis throws him the middle finger, hoping for casual, while inside he’s absolutely jumping for joy. They fucking did it.

“I should check up on the crowd,” Harry sighs. He flips over to his stomach rather reluctantly. “The ocean fell on us before I could gauge what the CEO was going to do.” He swims away, water splashing merrily behind him.

Louis throws a feeler out with his powers, beaming when he senses the calm of the water around him. “Fancy a ride back to the shore, lads?” He doesn’t wait for their answer, sending small jets of water to propel them to the beach, loud cackles trailing after their shocked faces.

It takes them a moment to find Harry, searching through the crowd of people.

“There,” Niall points, taking off in a jog toward Harry’s mess of curls and black clad body.

Louis follows close behind, body still exhausted from what he’d attempted, eager to pick up Harry and go home. They can deal with the minutiae after they’ve eaten and slept for a year.

He bumps into Niall, stumbling crankily. “Fuck, Nialler?”

Louis follows Niall’s gaze, blood freezing in his veins. Harry’s a few feet away, face pulled tight as he talks to a short, balding man, with beady eyes. A man who’s waving a gun around manically and yelling.

“Stupid kids think you can just come in here and ruin everything I’ve done.”

Harry stands firm, refusing to raise his voice. “We were just cleaning up the mess you had made. Please, sir. Put the gun down. We can talk about this calmly.”

“There is nothing to talk about!” The man shouts, face red with anger. He lifts up the gun, jabbing the air for emphasis with each word. “You’ve filled up my pipes with rock! You’ve _ruined_ all my work! I paid off the police, I bought out the mayor. I did fucking everything. I was going to make millions! And you,” the man breaks off panting, walking toward Harry with menacing steps. “You – “ the gun shakes in his hand as he tries to hold it steady.

“Lou,” Zayn holds onto Louis’ hand, which. Louis isn’t the one staring down the end of a gun. _Harry_ is.

Louis watches in slow motion as the man’s fingers reaches for the trigger, Harry’s eyes widening in terror. He shakes off Zayn’s hand, ignores the cries from Liam and Niall, and runs toward Harry, the only thing in his mind a mantra of _Harry, Harry, Harry._

And then it all goes black.

\---

The room swims when Louis’ flutters his eyes open.

“Oh look,” Zayn says drily. “Sleeping Beauty decided to join us.”

“What happened?” Louis croaks, recognising his room.

“Always had a flair for dramatics,” Liam shakes his head. He’s sitting in Zayn’s lap, on the only chair in Louis’ room. Niall’s at the foot of his bed.

“Where’s – “ Louis trails off, heart clenching in fear.

“For fuck’s sake, Lou, you’re literally sleeping on him,” Niall rolls his eyes.

Only then does Louis take in what’s under his head, the solid thigh muscles belonging to _Harry._

“You’re alright,” Louis breathes.

“Well,” Harry looks down at him with smiling eyes, rimmed red. “You decided to jump in front of a bullet for me.”

“Again, flair for the dramatics,” Liam quips.

“’S not like you were doing anything,” Louis sniffs.

“ _I_ would have blown the bullet away,” Niall pokes Louis’ leg. “You know, like I’d done in the past. Was sort of distracted by this idiot who took it upon himself to jump in front of the fucking bullet.”

Louis blushes, hiding his face in Harry’s leg. So maybe he might have overreacted. Just a little.

Zayn snorts, “Oh, mate. It was definitely more than a little.”

“He could have _died,”_ Louis whines.

“I think you were closer to death with holding up the whirlpool,” Niall says absentmindedly, stroking Highness, who’s sitting at Louis’ feet. Louis jerks his feet away.

“What happened with the bullet?” Louis ignores Niall, fingering at the spot where he thought the bullet hit him and feeling nothing. “Guess the power you put in our suits to repel worked, Li.”

“Wasn’t my power,” Liam says.

Louis looks at him questioningly but is met with silence. He looks around the room to see everyone pinning Harry down with a look. When he turns towards Harry, he’s resolutely avoiding everyone’s gaze, staring steadfastly at his nails.

Zayn sighs. “Honestly. Haz's power is Heart, or – “

“Love,” Louis cuts him off impatiently. “I know. Get to the point.”

Highness nips at Louis’ toe, and he shuts up, hurriedly drawing his feet under his legs.

“Harry put Heart that into the suit, so that if we ever faced true hate with true love, the love would repel the action of the hate.” Zayn explains.

“So,” Niall jumps in, very eager, “when you jumped in front of the bullet, your love was able to turn the bullet away. It went back into Jack.”

“The CEO,” Liam supplies.

“He’s dead?” Louis asks.

“No,” Zayn sighs, pulling Liam into his chest. “Harry had to save his life.”

“Heyy,” Harry pouts, speaking up for the first time.

“Wait. So like, me jumping in front of the bullet caused the bullet to rebound into him? Isn’t that kind of like Lily and Voldemort?”

“Yeah,” Harry rubs his hair sheepishly. “Kind of stole the idea from Harry Potter.”

“Sick,” Louis draws out. He shuts up promptly when Highness gets bored with Niall and begins to crawl up Louis’ legs. “Uh…” Louis holds very still. “What is she doing?”

“Poor baby,” Harry coos, reaching out a hand to pet his cat. “She was very worried about you. Started wailing as soon we carried you in and refused to leave you alone the entire time.”

“He’s just been out for a couple of hours,” Zayn snorts.

Highness hisses at Zayn, licking sandpapery kisses over Louis’ exposed chest. Louis reaches a tentative hand to her back, startling when she lets out a particularly loud and pleased purr.

“I’m not sure how I feel about this,” Louis admits.

Highness settles down contentedly, closing her eyes.

“We’ll leave you two alone,” Liam snickers, getting up off Zayn and pulling him and Niall out the room.

“I should go too,” Harry says. It’s a bit hard to read his expression from this angle.

“Or,” Louis purses his lips, “you could stay? Nap a little until her Highness decides to wake.”

“Okay,” Harry smiles, pleased, rearranging himself so he’s lying down next to Louis. He turns onto his side, palm meeting Louis’ atop Highness’ fur. “Thank you for saving my life.”

“Even if it was rather unnecessary?” Louis grins.

“Especially so,” Harry dimples back.

“Thank you for saving mine.”

“Anytime.” Harry looks at him with dark eyes for a long moment, until he leans forward and presses a soft kiss to Louis’ cheek. “Sleep well, Lou.”

\---

When Louis wakes up the next time, it’s dark in his room. His bed is empty and his chest is a million pounds lighter. His door creaks open and Harry walks in, carrying a plate and two mugs.

“Highness said you were awake.” Harry places the food on the bedside table, helping Louis sit up.

“Highness _said_?”

“You know, part of my powers includes understanding animals.”

“Understanding is different from talking to them,” Louis retorts.

“I’m very close to my cat.”

“Clearly,” Louis grins, shifting on his bed so Harry can join him. He accepts his tea eagerly, sighing in pleasure when the hot liquid slides down his throat.

“Talks to animals,” Louis begins a checklist after he eats a biscuit, “heals the sick, reads minds. Is there anything you can’t do?”

“Sustain a whirlpool for an hour.”

“An _hour!?”_

“Around there, yeah,” Harry nods.

“Bloody hell,” Louis says around a sip. “No wonder I nearly died.”

Harry lets out a strangled noise and grows still.

“What’s wrong?” Louis asks.

“Nothing,” Harry mumbles. “Can I get you anything else?”

“Hazza,” Louis sets down his mug and reaches for Harry’s hands. “Tell me.”

“It’s – I just… I told you to keep going. Even though you were clearly drained.”

“Yeah, so did Zayn,” Louis shrugs.

“But his power isn’t to read your emotions or how you’re feeling. That was _mine._ ” Harry blinks furiously.

“Curly,” Louis murmurs, thumbing at a stray tear. “You’re still learning how to control your powers. You did incredibly well. We all did.”

“I suppose so. After the CEO shot at you –“ Harry rolls his eyes at Louis’ protests “ – me, the police arrested him. The media got his confession of buying out the mayor and police and once other jurisdictions got involved, they had no choice but to shut down the pipeline. Zayn and Liam stayed back to help sort out some stuff.”

“Sick,” Louis admits. He draws up some water from his mug, cooling it down in the process. “You know what I’ve never been able to do with my powers?”

“What?” Harry breathes, mesmerised by the water floating before him.

“Make shapes with them.”

And then, Louis concentrates on turning the blob of water into a shape. “You know, if it hadn’t been for you, Curly, I wouldn’t have been able to do what I did today.”

“What do you mean?” Harry doesn’t take his eyes off the strands of water that slowly spread out from the blob, arching symmetrically on either side.

“We needed the fifth person to draw our powers together. _I_ needed you to keep pushing me. Believing in me.”

The arches finally draw out to meet at a point in the center. Louis turns to Harry and looks at him through the shimmering water outline of a heart. “I’m sorry I was so stubborn at first. I’m glad you’re a Planeteer. I’m glad you’re in our lives. In _my_ life.”

Harry’s are intense, reflecting the light through the water. He lets go of his bitten lip, plump and red under his ministrations, fingers holding onto Louis' hands. “I’m fucking crazy about you.” And then he’s leaning toward Louis through the heart to connect their lips.

Louis gasps, his mind solely focussed on kissing Harry back, on the softness against his lips. The heart collapses on them, water hitting their cheeks, but they don’t pull apart, deepening the kiss instead.

“I’m fucking crazy about you, too,” Louis pants, placing soft pecks to Harry’s lips when they pull apart. “I’ve been wanting to do this for ages.”

“Then don’t stop,” Harry urges, dragging Louis back in with his large hands on either cheek, tongues meeting to turn the kiss filthy.

“So,” Louis breaks off, taking greedy gulps of air. “That image of you fucking me against the bulletin papers, that was you?”

Harry shakes his head, laughing himself out of a stupor. He guides Louis onto his back, slotting himself between Louis’ legs. “You saw that? Fuck, I didn’t know about my powers back then.” He presses a long kiss to Louis’ lips, sucking them gently. “I couldn’t understand why I wanted to ravish you the minute I laid eyes on you. I’ve never felt that way before.”

Louis spends a long moment to relish in the feel of Harry’s lips, delighted in the fact the he now _can._ He kisses him until his lips are swollen, until he can’t tell their tastes apart. “So that bone crippling arousal every time I was around you wasn’t just me?”

Harry chuckles, deep and throaty. “I think it was so powerful because it was mutual.”

“Mutual, huh?” Louis grins, cheekily.

“Definitely mutual,” Harry mumbles into Louis’ neck, sucking hot kisses down the column of his throat.

“Door shut?” Louis arches off the bed, voice shaking with need as he feels his cock throb in his pants.

“Yeah, why?” Harry bites his neck, ribbing the skin between his teeth.

“Really don’t want Highness walking in while I get you off.”

“Is that what’s going to happen now?” Harry lifts his head to meet Louis’ eyes, pupils blown wide, pink lips stretched in a wide grin, dimples deep and beckoning.

Louis nods, pulling Harry back down into a hard kiss.

\---

Two orgasms each later, skin still cooling from sweat and sticky with come, Louis’ rests his head Harry’s chest. He contemplates calling some water in to clean them up, but he’s much to sated to be bothered.

“ _I’d really like it if you could control your mind while you’re fucking,”_ Niall speaks to them through Harry, who’s clearly too relaxed to close off his mind. “ _I don’t need to listen to seven orgasms in a row._ ”

 _“Wait, seven? Harry and I came four times._ ”

“How is that your biggest concern,” Harry laughs into Louis’ hair, his chest shaking.

 _“Are you that dense?”_ Zayn joins in, Liam's laughter mixed with his.

Louis narrows his eyes, mind suddenly a lot more active. He thinks back to how Zayn had reacted to Liam being crushed by the rocks many moons ago. To how Liam was sitting in Zayn’s lap. To how they’re always together. _“Nooooooo.”_

 _“Are you only figuring it out now?!”_ Liam laughs. _“Louis! I’m so disappointed.”_

“Why do you think I called them ‘Ziam,’ babe?” Harry chortles.

“You also said you and Niall were 'Narry,'” Louis turns to him accusingly. “Did you two – “ his mouth falls open.

“ _Why,”_ Niall butts in exasperated, “ _do the two of you think I would fuck either of you?”_

 _“Maybe,”_ Louis retorts, _“because you’re clearly the only one not getting any tonight.”_

Harry’s shaking uncontrollably and just when Louis’ about to ask him why, an image of Niall wanking alone in his bed floods his mind.

 _“STOP!_ ” the others yell in unison.

 _“I’m sorry!”_ Harry sputters, looking the least bit sorry.

 _“Oh my god,”_ Liam cackles, _“Nialler did you wank to us having sex?”_

 _“I would never,”_ Niall defends, a bit too quickly. 

“ _Is this how the orgy starts?”_ Harry asks.

“ _There is_ no _orgy!”_ the others yell.

Their laughter mixes through the night, bouncing off the Planeteer rings nestled inside a frame. For now they could laugh and relax. Until their planet needs them again. 

**Author's Note:**

> Go wish [missandrogyny](http://missandrogyny.tumblr.com/) a happy belated birthday!  
> Come say [hi!](https://backonefish.tumblr.com/)  
> Rebloggable [post](https://backonefish.tumblr.com/post/164999704471/and-when-the-powers-combine-pairing-harry)  
> 


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